In the art of satellite communications, orthogonally polarized signals are currently used. The modern antennae on board of satellites frequently use multi-horn signal sources to feed reflectors for producing configured or multiple beams. When using orthogonally polarized signals in the feed systems for the multiple sources, the waveguide configurations become very intricate and give rise to implementation problems, especially when a great number of horns are used in a compact configuration (the horn spacing is ranging about the wavelength used). The signals to be divided or to be combined may be located in comparatively large, possibly well separated, different frequency ranges, e.g. 17.7-22.2 GHz and 27.5-31.0 GHz.
In order that a microwave transducer can be used in feed systems comprising a plurality of closely located signal sources a microwave transducer should have as small a cross-section as possible, it should be compact and it should have minimum complexity.
Several types of microwave transducer apparatus are known in the art. The most common apparatus comprises a main waveguide and at least an output waveguide, the axis of which is perpendicular to the axis of the main waveguide. Such a configuration involves assembling problems, especially when a great number of signal sources have to be fed and when the sources are close to each other.
A second type of microwave transducer is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,835 issued to Gould. This known apparatus uses a septum polarizer that acts to convert a linearly polarized signal into a circularly polarized signal and vice versa. This type of apparatus has not been implemented for linearly polarized signals.